Medical Teams International

"I pray to God to provide a good life for my children. This is the most happiness I could wish for in my life. I have suffered, and I do not want my children to suffer as well…" - Justine in Tanzania

Like many mothers we serve, Justine's heart for her children is what keeps her moving forward. When a recent pregnancy threatened her health, Justine relied on the support of community health workers to carry and deliver her baby safely. 💓

She says, "I thank Medical Teams for your assistance...things went well because I listened to the advice of the health workers. Community health workers worked hand in hand with me, and I thank God that I was able to deliver my baby safely."

When it comes to the fight against malaria, knowledge is power! 🦟 That's why Dr. Elia Anderson is so passionate about sharing tips for prevention and treatment of malaria in the communities we serve in Tanzania.

Dr. Elia has been helping people prevent and recover from malaria in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. He says, "One of the best prevention methods is sleeping under treated mosquito nets...and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds like buckets. If you experience fever, chills, headaches, or body aches, seek medical help immediately! A simple blood test can diagnose malaria, and early treatment can be life-saving."

Providers like Dr. Elia, whose commitment to the people he serves is unwavering, are a true blessing to Medical Teams and the people we serve! Thank you, Dr. Elia.

The power of partnership in action! 🫶 We had the pleasure of joining with the Iraqi/Arab Health Board and the The University of Washington School of Dentistry in Washington at a health fair hosted by Muslim American Youth Foundation to provide dental care for underserved communities in Seattle, Washington.

Check out this rockstar team of health advocates!

Evaristo Mwilongo, a security officer in Tanzania, has had an impressive career. Prior to working for Medical Teams, he served alongside the late President of Tanzania!

Evaristo shares, "Through him, I gained wisdom. I learned the importance of living a life that inspires others. Today, I want to emphasize the significance of humanity...embracing humanity and treating others with respect will cost you nothing."

That's certainly not a problem at Medical Teams. Known for his kindness and willingness to help others, Evaristo is a beloved team member. We're grateful to have a role model in Evaristo, and have his steady presence on the team!

If you've never had tooth pain, consider yourself lucky! 🦷 When a tooth aches, it can make day-to-day life difficult because it's hard to focus on anything else.

That's part of why Medical Teams focuses on care close to home through our Care & Connect Mobile Health clinics. The difference dental care makes is extraordinary, and we have the stories to prove it.

Hear from Lamaure, Jack, and Mary about the difference dental care made for them!

The Dental Care Difference The dental care difference is a reason to smile! Read stories of people who have been helped by our Care & Connect Mobile Health clinics.

We’ve been working in Colombia since 2019, primarily focusing on providing health services and care for the influx of Venezuelans who have fled their country in recent years. After the recent election in Venezuela, there has been conflict and unrest threatening the livelihood of many Venezuelans.

Steve Cooke, our country director in Colombia, shared, “We are deeply worried and saddened by the events occurring in Venezuela since the election on Sunday the 28th. Regrettably, the electoral process is just the most recent example of systems that should serve all Venezuelans, but in which the people now have no confidence – just like the health care system that should support all Venezuelans. The unrest we are witnessing in Venezuela now is not only evidence of why so many millions have left their home country but also why so many feel the opportunity to return and reclaim their lives is even further out of reach than before Sunday’s election.”

The worsening situation in Venezuela is extremely worrying given the lack of health care for the population and the millions who have already fled the country. Violence, unrest, and conflict will worsen the social and economic crisis in the country and could drive millions more into dangerous migration routes that impact the whole region.

For many Venezuelans, Colombia has been an incredibly welcoming neighbor, but Colombia’s health care systems are struggling to absorb the increasing demand for services, especially since many Venezuelans arrive without having accessed health services for years – lacking medications for chronic illnesses, never having received sexual and reproductive health services or education, and a range of respiratory, skin and other infections and often impact children the worst.

It's World Breastfeeding Week! 🤱🏾
For a variety of reasons, breastfeeding isn’t always adopted in some of the countries we serve. But breastfeeding does help newborn health outcomes, especially for babies born into fragile contexts.

Read our recent blog to find out more about the impact of breastfeeding and how Medical Teams educates and supports mothers and children:

World Breastfeeding Week: Supporting Mothers, Saving Babies Learn about the importance of breastfeeding and how Medical Teams supports mothers this World Breastfeeding Week!

Consider our team in Tanzania life-savers!🩸At a recent event held in partnership with the Tanzania Red Cross Society, they donated 687 units of safe blood!

Dr. Eddah Ndabila, one of our staff members, says, "Blood cannot be bought, regardless of one's wealth. In times of need, the sole source is an individual's donation. Donating blood is a life-saving act where donors make a significant contribution by sharing a part of their own lives to save others. It is an admirable and selfless act, a unique and profound gift dedicated to saving lives."

This incredible event highlights the power of collaboration and community engagement when it comes to addressing urgent health care needs! Thank you to our team in Tanzania and the Tanzania Red Cross Society. ⭐

Say "hi!" to Dr. Selemani! 👋🏾 After just a year with Medical Teams in Tanzania, he's already a trusted provider and friend.

Dr. Selemani was inspired to pursue medicine after frequently being sick as a child. His grandfather was a doctor, and often tended him when he was ill. His grandfather told him to take science classes, work hard, and to not give up. Dr. Selemani's dream was born!

Though his family hoped he would become a teacher, our patients and team in Tanzania are so glad he stayed true to his dream. He reminds everyone that reaching our destiny demands sacrifice and perseverance through life's challenges.

We're grateful to providers like Dr. Selemani, who are so committed to wholeheartedly serving their patients!

Go Team Tanzania! 🏆 In June, our team in Tanzania attended a retreat session over 2 days to reflect and renew together. They heard from spiritual speakers, discussed organizational direction and future improvements, participated in staff development, and connected with the leadership team.

And of course...they took part in some good-natured competition outside! We love seeing our team members in Tanzania have fun and grow together.

Often, humanitarian work is hard and stressful. Taking the time to pause, reflect, and renew together is critical!

Who's watching the 2024 Paris Olympics? 🙋 It's day 5 of competition and we're excited to see athletes from the International Olympic Committee's Refugee Olympic Team compete this year!

This incredible group of athletes is competing in swimming, badminton, taekwondo, judo, boxing, cycling, canoe sprint, canoe slalom, athletics, breaking, boxing, shooting, wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, and weightlifting! This is the third Olympics with a refugee team.

The importance of a refugee team can't be overstated. There are over 100 million displaced people in the world who are unable to return to their home country without fear of persecution or ongoing violence. This team welcomes athletes to compete on the global stage.

It's time for Tanzania! Here's what our teams in TZ have been up to this year✍️

We're celebrating four straight years of zero maternal deaths in Tanzania! Speaking of babies...in just 3 months, our staff assisted with 745 deliveries — including 8 sets of twins! — without losing a single mother. One of the ways we continue to keep mothers safe in our clinics is through training. More than 150 team members received supplemental training in various technical areas in 2024.

Additionally, our community health workers are sharing health and nutrition messages. This year, they’ve already reached more than 8,000 households!

The momentum going into the second half of 2024 is strong 🎉

See all mid-year updates here: https://buff.ly/4f0uoVz

Привіт! Hi! Our Ukraine team is here sharing their mid-year update 👋🏻

This year marked the second year of war in Ukraine. Many people are still struggling to get their basic needs met. Our mobile medical teams are reaching many of the people who need help. They provide supplies, basic health care check-ups, and can support the mental and psychosocial health of people affected by the violence. So far, our providers have already offered more than 15,000 consultations from our mobile medical teams so far this year!

There is still so much we can do to support Ukraine to finish the year. We'll keep working hard to care for people affected by conflict 💓

Health is happening here at home! ❤️🩺🦷 Here's what our U.S. team has been up to this year so far...

We've already served more than 3,000 people with urgent dental and health care needs at nearly 400 Care & Connect Mobile Health clinics! We're piloting our emergency preparedness program in the Pacific Northwest, so we can help when disasters strike close to home. In Tukwila, Washington, we provided 300 asylum-seekers taking refuge at a church with hygiene kits, dental care, and medical screenings.

The year is only half over! We're working hard to finish the year strong 💪

Our 2024 mid-year update in Sudan shows how dire the situation is for millions of people 💔 Our team continues to provide vital aid amidst the ongoing civil war.

April 2024 marked one year of war in Sudan, and the need for nutrition and health care continues to skyrocket. We’ve grown our supported clinic sites from 32 to 89 to help meet the demand. Now, we're caring for a population of nearly 1 million people.

One of the greatest needs in Sudan right now is for nutrition services, as many people face famine conditions. In response, we’re screening and treating malnutrition, particularly in women and children.

We are working hard to grow our community health program to stop outbreaks and support people affected by the war. Community health workers reach on average more than 85,000 people each month!

Our team continues to care, even while facing displacement and fear themselves. We are so grateful for their courage and compassion!

We're only halfway through the year, but we're all in for Uganda! 📃 Here's what's happened so far this year:

Our community health workers are going digital! Digitization is a helpful way to more quickly catch outbreaks and health issues in the community before they become widespread. We're caring for nearly 50,000 people from Sudan who have crossed into Uganda. Finally, our clinics in refugee settlements have a maternal mortality rate far lower than the national average. At Medical Teams, our maternal mortality rate is just 31 per 100,000 births. That’s compared to the national average of 189 per 100,000 births.

Keep going strong, Uganda! We're finishing the year with heart ❣️
Read the mid-year update for each country program: https://buff.ly/4f0uoVz

Thank you to Borgen Magazine for covering such an important topic! One of our extraordinary team members, Jared Lollar, shared how Medical Teams is committed to providing health care in one of the world's least publicized conflicts:

How Medical Teams International is Improving Health in Ethiopia - BORGEN TRURO, United Kingdom — Ethiopia, often viewed as a symbol of progress due to its rapidly growing economy and urbanization, faces significant challenges. About 68.7% of its population suffers from multidimensional poverty, with an additional 18.4% at risk. The country’s health care system is und...

¡Hola! from Colombia! Let's check in and see how this year has gone so far... 📝 We launched our response in Darién Gap! Our humanitarian storefront and ‘safe space’ for migrant families has been a welcome respite and resource for thousands of people. We are also now serving people in new regions along the coast.

This year so far, community health volunteers have reached more than 40,000 people in communities across Colombia.

Our team partnered with a local, migrant-led organization to pilot a program called Hablamé or “tell me.” It’s a national hotline that helps people struggling to get access to Colombia’s health care system.

It's always a gift to watch our creative and innovative team in Colombia go to work helping people migrating! We're excited to finish the year strong 🫱🏽‍🫲🏼

A group of about 15 students from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Nigeria visited Medical Teams headquarters last week to learn about servant leadership. These students are from The Co-Serve Servant Leadership Academy.

Medical Teams founder, Ron Post, joined this group to share the Medical Teams story. The team also volunteered in our Distribution Center helping to prepare donated medical supplies for shipment worldwide.

Thank you to the Co-Serve International group and Ron Post for inspiring the next generation of leaders!

If you think excellence, think Ethiopia! ⭐The first half of the year in Ethiopia has been all about growth.

We’re expanding our services dramatically to help people affected by drought, cholera outbreaks, and increased conflict both in-country and in the region. We’ve grown from 145 team members to 401 team members. We’ve increased our nutrition sites to more than 350 this year from 200 last year. We’re serving at 10 more refugee sites than we did last year.

Though all of this is in response to the challenging conditions in Ethiopia, it’s a blessing to be able to serve so many families. Our team is working tirelessly to find new ways to help people get the nutrition and health care they need. ❣️

Last week, news broke about the horrific bombing of a children's hospital in Kyiv. We received a few notes from our country director in Ukraine, Duncan Fleck, "I certainly heard the explosions which were the loudest I have experienced in Kyiv, an attack on the most innocent of civilians...While we are not working in Kyiv, we are in the same sector doing Health and are affected by these types of incidents. Staff including myself felt the blasts— they were only 15 minutes away by car."

In partnership with IOM Ukraine and United Nations OCHA's Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, we are continuing to provide loving and life-saving medical care to people in Urkaine. 🇺🇦 💙💛 You can support these brave teams of health workers with a gift today: https://buff.ly/4c6S8oF

Ring the dinner bell: we're talking about nutrition! 🍽️ Nutrition care is an important part of medical care. Some of the people we serve in our clinics have struggled to get enough nutrition through food.

Sometimes it’s because they’re leaving places experiencing famine or violence, so basic necessities like food have been scarce. It can also be because they’ve struggled to get enough to eat on the way to places of refuge, often making long journeys with little support. They may be unable to get enough to eat in the camps or settlements where we serve. Most often, women and children are more vulnerable to malnutrition.

That's why we offer outpatient integrated nutrition support for people with severe or moderate acute malnutrition. As a part of our nutrition program, we always include interventions at the community level, carried out mostly by community health workers.

We're grateful for all the ways food is medicine for the people we serve!

Mental health care is health care! 🧠 For us, that looks different in each country program, but they all offer support that tries to protect and promote the mental well-being of our patients and their families, or treat mental health conditions. That might mean offering individual counseling, support groups, or prescriptions from providers for medication. Additionally, most of our providers and community health workers are trained in the principles of psychological first aid.

As more research is done around the mental health effects of displacement, we continue to focus on providing mental health and psychosocial support for the people we serve.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." —1 John 5:14

Will you pray with us for forgotten crises? 🙏🥺 We're a part of the Integral Alliance, a network of Christian humanitarian organizations. A recent report from Integral highlighted the causes of neglected crises and offers prayers for the people facing crisis around the world.

We hope you'll read the report, then fold your hands in prayer! https://buff.ly/4cTsGU4

Medical Teams is a member of Integral Alliance, a group of Christian humanitarian organizations united in our desire to help our hurting world.

Together, we're shining a spotlight on crises in our world that are often overlooked by the public and media. A recent report from Integral shows 5 reasons behind the neglect of these crises. Then, find out how you can take action!

Learn more:

integralalliance.org